Schools with election day polling place face security challenge

While the Newtown, Conn. shooting has schools across the country reviewing their safety procedures, some schools in Wisconsin are looking at an event that happened a half-dozen times in 2012: Election Day.

Visitors to Glen Hills School in Glendale have to be buzzed through locked doors during the school day. And while it may be a good plan, Election Day creates a serious issue.

"Parents have to stop and get buzzed in, except on Election Day," said administrator Larry Smalley. "All of a sudden on election day it's kind of a free for all."

Smalley is asking the city of Glendale to move polling places out of the schools.

WISN 12 News discovered he is not alone.

Wauwatosa schools are also working with their city to relocate the city's voting sites to non-school buildings.

In the city of Milwaukee, more than half of the polling places are currently located inside schools. The city's Election Commission said the security of those buildings must be balanced with maintaining neighborhood access to the voting booth.

"The availability of those schools is pretty critical to being able to offer neighborhood-based voting," election director Neil Albrecht said.

He said it is a tough balance, but safety comes first. And that's what Glendale school officials will continue to ask for.

"For our schools, we think it would be safer not to have the polling places here," Smalley said.

Glendale city officials are expected to discuss the issue early next year.